Air cleaner



y 1, 1930. E. c. RANEY 1,769,071

AIR CLEANER Filed 001;. 1, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. C.RANEY AIR CLEANER Filed Oct. 1

July 1, 1930.

attorney,

July' 1, 1930. E. c. RANEY 1,769,071

- AIR cmmnn Filed Oct. 1, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet s J d C Pa/nay PatentedJuly 1930 UNITED STATES- ESTEL 0. many, 'or conumws, orno LIB CLEANERApplication filed October 1, 1925."Se'r1a1 1T0. 59,768.

My invention has for its object to remove the dust from the air that isdrawn into the apparatus such as air pumps, air compressors, internalcombustion engines, rotor fans, etc., for preventing the wear of therelatively moving parts of the apparatus that would otherwise be causedby the grinding action produced by the dust that invariably lodgesbetween such moving parts. In the case of air pumps, internal combustionengines and the like, the'dust will cause scoring of the cylinder wallsand the wearing of the piston rings, cylinders, and in connection withall formsof pneumatic apparatus, the bearings of'relative rotative partswill be likewise worn by the.part-icles of dust ,or grit that are drawnin with the air. This requires reboring of cylinders or re-grinding andthe installation of new pistons and piston rings.

and frequent adjustments and replacement of parts. trance of the dustinto such pneumatic apparatus and consequently prevents the rapid wearof the moving parts thereof. It greatly prolongs the life of theapparatus or mechanism in connection with which it is used andeliminates a large expense in the maintenance of such apparatus ormechanism.

In constructions embodying my invention the dust is removed from the airbefore it enters the air utilizing mechanism or pneumatic apparatus bymeans of an adhesive material that will cause the dust to adhere to itas the air is drawn over its surface, the material being of such acharacter that it is substantially non-evaporative andalso of such acharacter that it will spread itself over the surface of a body oyerwhich the air may be drawn. The material used is preferably absorbtiveand absorbent or porous walls are used in connection therewith topresent a large area of. the dust adhesive material' to the air.entering the v apparatus in :onnection with which my invention is used.The side walls of the cleaner may be charged with the dust adherentmaterial or partitioning walls, or baffle members may be covered )rimpregnated with the material. In the specific embodiments ofm'y'invention I uti-.

My invention prevents the en lize oleiferousmaterial such as oil-rgrease, which is, practically, non-evaporative under normal atmospherictemperatures and is sufliciently adhesive to cause the particles of dustthat come in contact with it to adhere and collect on surfaces coveredtherewith and, furthermore, will be more or less readily absorbed byfibrous bodies so as to automatically spread itself over the surface ofthe bodies. The material is also of sucha char- 'acter that it will beabsorbed by the dust particles in the same manner that it is absorbed bythe fibrous bodies and will thus constantly present tothe moving air anddust an oil surface, as the dust accumulates, which will 5 cause thedust to continuously de osit and collect. If grease is used it mayespread over surfaces located in the line of move ment of the air throuh the cleaner. The arrangement of the fi rous bodies is such that theair passage between the fibrous bodies will not be obstructed by theaccumulation of the dust.

The invention may be contained in air cleaners of different forms and toillustrate a practical application of the invention and describe itsoperation, I have selected an air cleaner containing my invention as anexample of such, structures and shall describe it hereinafter. The aircleaner selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompan'ng drawings as applied to an internal com ustion engine.

Figure 1 of the drawings is. a side view of the cleanerconnected to thecarburetor and to the engine casing of an automobile engine. Fig. 2illustates a baflle memberwhich is located in the air passage of thecleaner. Fig. 3 illustrates a top lview of a removable frame forremovably supporting a plurality of b'afile members of absorbent.material. Fig. 4 illustrates a view of a horizontal section of the frameshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 illustrates a view of a section of the cleanertaken on theplan'e of the line 5 -5 indicated in Fig. 6. Fig. 6illustrates a view of a section taken on the plane of the line 6-6indicated in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a top View of the cleaner. movable be esupporting frame, 7

F1 8 is an end view of the re- 1 0 Inthe air cleaner shown in thedrawings, a plurality of baffle plates 1, having sheets of oil chargedor impregnated material, are so disposed as to subdivide the air intothin sections. and to direct the air along sinuous lines while the dustparticles will move in straighter lines substantially tangential to thelines of movement of the air and will, by

reason of their inertia, strike against the oil charged sheets and becollected on the bafile plates and caused to accumulate. The baflleplates 1 are supported in a shell 2 that has a funnelled end 3 which isconnected to the carburetor 4, either directly or through a suitablepipe. It is also connected to the crank shaft casing 5 through the pipe6, the casing being otherwise closed to preclude the entrance of airtherein except through the pipe 6. The end 8 of the shell 2 is open. Ithas an open area that is much larger than the' opening ,throu h theinlet of the carburetor plus thesize of the pipe 6 in order that theremay be but very little resistance of the air through the cleaner wherebythe carburetor will receive its normal supply of air to produce properfuel mixture without the necessity of ment 19 formed in the bottom, ofthe shell 2 imd in which any suitable oil may be located.

The absorbent material of which the baflle tire surface of the absorbentmaterial.

lates 1 are formed in part, preferably, "dip into the oil, and the oilby reason of its capillary attraction willspread itself over thelapbaflie plates may be arranged in series, the baflie plates of eachseries being located parallel to each other and the haflle plates of oneseries being located at an an leto the baflle plates of juxtaposedseries. the following edges of the plates of each series may be locatedsubstantially opposite the mid-point between the leading edges of thefollowing series of baflle plates. This results in not only dividing theair. into sheets or sections when the air enters the cleaner, but also,continuously causes subdivision and recombination .of the sheets of airas the air passes between each series of baflle plates. Furthermore, itcauses the air to move sinuously through the shell giving fullopportunity for all the dust particles to impinge upon the baffle platesand be caught by the .011. Thus by my invention the air will bethoroughly cleansed from the dust before it enters the intake of theengine and also the crank shaft casing, if the cleaner is connectedtherewith.

To provide for the ready removal, inspection and, if desired,'thecleaning of the bafile plates, the shell 2 is provided with a cover 9that may be secured to the top of the shell 2 by any suitable means. Inthe form of construction shown in the drawing a spring bar 10 ispivotally connected at its center to the cover and a pair of slottedears 11 formed integrally with the sides of the shell pro'ect from theupper edges of the sides of the s ell and through slots formed in thecover. The cover 9 is elastically secured to the top of the shell byinserting it in position on the shell and so that the ears protrudethrough the-slots and then rotating the bar 10, the endsof the bar beingdepressed so that they may enter slots formed in the side edges of theears. The bar will thus elastically engage in the slots of the'ears.

The battle plates, if desired, may -bemounted in one or more removableframes 12. vThe frames 12 are formed of four sides substantially asshown in the figures. The lower sides of the frames 12 are provided withslots 13 through which the lower end portions of the baflle membersextend. The sides of the frames substantially fit the interior of theshell 2 and their open ends, consequently, permit substantially the samefree movement of the air through the frames that is permitted by theshell. Any suitable means may be provided for securing the bafile platesin position in the frames. The baflle plates are necessarily so formedas to produce the required rigidity and firmness to prevent theirsagging or their fraying by reason of the air moving swiftly through theshell. In the construction shown in the drawings the absorbent materialis formed of strips of asuitable sheet "fibre 14 such as felt, paper,wicking or any similar absorbent material, and the strips are backed bysheet metal strips 15 having edge portions that are bent over the edgesof the strips of absorbent sheet material 14. The sheet metal-strips 15may be perforated as indicated at 16, in order to present oily surfacesto the air on the following sides of the bafile plates, that is, on

the backs of the metal strips, and on portions of the stri s of theabsorbent material, for collection 0 dust from the eddy current that maybe produced at the back of the bailles. The strips 15 and the sheetfibre 14 m y extend a short distance below the lower siges of the frame12 and rest on the bottom of the shell 2. The upper ends of the strips15 are provided with ears 17 that extend beyond the upper ends of thesheet fibre 14 a short distance while the upper sides of the frames 12have slots 18 in which the-ears 17 are placed and are then bent over tosecure compartment 19. and the chamber of the shell through which theair moves. A small opening 20 may be formed inthe side wall of the oilcompartment through which the pressure in the compartment. is maintainedat atmospheric pressure.

The oil is thus located in a separate compartment formed in the bottomof the shell by the lower sides of the frames which taken together forma partitioning wall, dividing the shell into the air chamber throughwhich the air passes and an oil containing chamber. The absorbentmaterial of the baffle members extend through the partitioning wall,that is, through the lower sides of the frame so as to be absorbently incontact with the oil,

either directly or through other absorbent material. The lower sides ofthe frames have an area sufficient to close the oil chamber and preventthe oil from being caught up by the swiftly mo ving air or from havingits level raised at the outlet end of the shell by the difference inpressure at the inlet and outlet of the shell.

Any number of frames 12 may be used for supporting the baffle plates 1.In the form of construction shown, each frame is used.

for supporting two series or sets of battle plates. Each frame of battleplates may be considered as ,a unit, for purposes of assembling, and theair cleaner may contain any number of units according to the number of'sets or series-f baifle plates that it is found desirable to use inorder to thoroughly separate the dust from the air before it enters theintake of the mechanism to which the cleaner is connected. Also it isfound very desirable to place a pair of sets or series of baflie platesin each of the frames in order that each of the baflie plates may bereadily inspected and cleaned-when occasion requires.

Ifthe vacuous condition produced by the.

mechanism'reaches a certain point a slight restriction will be producedby the bafile plates within the shell which produces a slightly lowerpressure than that of atmospheric at the point of connection of the pipe6 with the air cleaner. This slight difference of pressure will causethe air to flow through the cleaner as required for the production ofthe proper fuel mixture. Up to a certain speed of the engine therewill'be some fluctuation of the air through the pipe 6 and all the airthat enters the crank shaft casing will be 1 cleaned of dust. WVhen thespeed increases volatile portions of the fuel escape tothe crank shaftcasing. The amount that thus escapes of course is increased where the I.

piston rings do not effectively seal the piston.

The higher speed also reduces the fluctuation in the pipe 6 and thevapor that enters or forms within the crank shaft casingesc'apestherefrom. By my invention it is drawn into of the carburetor producesonly a slight draft in the casing as distinct from a heavier draft whichwould draw the oil from the casing.

The cleaner thus produces a pressure at its point of connection with thecarburetor that will cause the vaporized and misted liquids only to passfrom the crank shaft casing into the engine cylinders. This will resultin a large saving of fuel that would otherwise be lost and also reducesthinning of the oil in the casing, and provides a means whereby all dustmay be excluded from the interior of the engine.

Thus by my invention I have provided a means for separating and removingthe dust from air that may be drawn-into any mechanism or apparatus,whereby the moving parts of such apparatus that come in contact with theair will be protected as against any grinding produced by grit orparticles of foreign matter which insures an extended life or utility ofsuch apparatus to which my invention may be applied.

In the operation of the cleaner, the suction produced by the engine todraw fuel mixtures into the cylinders of the engine in the manner wellknown in the art, draws and as the cleaner is being connected to the airintake of the carburetor, the air will be drawn through the cleaner. Thebaflie members of the cleaner being so located relative to each otherthat the air streams are subdivided and recombined and again subdividedby a plurality of sets of bafflemembers located in removable frames,there is but a very slight restriction to the movement of the airthrough the cleaner. As the air passes through the cleaner the dust ofthe air impinges upon the first set of'baflie members which are locatedat an angle to the line connecting the centers of the inlet and outletof the shell. The air is thus subdivided and the subdivided parts arecaused to change their direc tion of flow. The subdivided parts arecaused to recombine at the inner edges of the baflie members withrespect to the direction of the air flow and then the'air is subdividedby the outer edges of the succeeding set of baffle members and at thesame time the air is again deflected which causes the dust to im- Againthe subdivided air portions are recom- 'bined at the inner-edges of thesaid second set of baflle members and the air again is subdivided by theouter edges of the third set of baflie members. Thus as the air advancesbafile members of absorbent material in sheet form, for deflecting the'air that passes through the shell, each baflle member hav- -ing aportion within the air passage-way through the shell and a portionabsorbently in contact with thenliquid located in the shell, a pluralityof frames for removably support ing the baffle members, the bafflemembers arranged in series, a pair of series of bafile members supportedin each frame, the bafiie members of each series being located in planesthat are inclined to the general direction of the air flow through theshell and the baffle members of one series of each frame being inclinedto the ,planes of the baflie members of the other series of the frame.

2, In an air cleaner for air utilizin mechanism, a shell for containinga liqui at the bottom thereof, means for connecting the shell with themechanism, a plurality of bafile members of absorbent material in sheetform for deflecting the air that passes through the shell, each bafilemember having a portion within the air passage-way through the shell anda portion absorbently in consigned my name to this s ecification.

tact with the liquid located in the shell, a

plurality of frames for removably support-.

mg the baffle members the lower side of each frame spaced from thebottom of the shell, the bafile members being arranged in series,

a pair of series of baflie members supported in each frame, the bafliemembers of each series being located in planes that are inclined to thegeneral direction of the air flow through the shell and the planes ofthe baffle members of one series of each frame being inclined to theplanes of the baflie members of the other series of the frame, the lowersides of the said frames substantially covering the liquid.

3. In an air cleaner for air utilizing mechanism, a shell ada ted tocontain a liquid at the bottom thereo means for connecting the shellwith the mechanism, a plurality of battle members of flexible absorbentmaterial in sheet form, and located in planes that are inclined to thegeneral direction of air flow lower sides of the frame substantiallycovering the lower side of the shell, and forming a partitioning wall toform a chamber in the lower part of the shell for containing a liquid,the lower ends of the baffle members extending through the lower sidesof the frames and absorbently in contact with the liquid.

5. In an air cleaner for carburetors of internal combustion en ines, ashellopenat opposite ends, a set 0 substantially parallel bafile membersextending across the shell and located in planes that are inclined to aline extending through the openings of the shell, a second set ofsubstantially parallel baflie members located in planes inclined to thesaid line and extending across the said shell and also located at anangle to the planes of the first set of bafiie members, the width of thebaflle members and the spaces between the baffle members being such asto locate the leading edges of the bafile members, with reference to thedirection of the moving air, op-

osite intermediate points between the leadmgl and following edges ofthejuxtaposed a e members and the following edges of one set of bafilemembers being located opposite points intermediate the leading edges ofthe second set of bafiie members.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto ES EL 0. RANEY.

the shell and absorbently in contact with t 0 liquid located in theshell, each bafile member

